Sorrel Salad

How about some healthy food guys?  🙂

In the world of fast food, busy life style, stressed working schedule, our body and health requires more and more attention, including physical exercises and healthy food.  I am not an exception, so I try my best to avoid fast food in my everyday life and eat some healthy, well prepared stuff regularly.

First of all, I prepared Vinaigrette – you may need 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp vinegar and 1 tsp basil, whisk it well into emulsion and your vinaigrette is ready.

Vinaigrette

Mise en place for Sorrel Salad  

Here we have: cut sorrel, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes

Mise en place

Take a large bowl and put everything layer by layer and also pour vinaigrette in between.

Finally dress with parsley and salt on top.

Bon Appetite! 

Sorrel Salad

Ingredients: 

Sorrel (leaves & stems) – 400 gr

Cucumber – 2 pieces

Cherry tomatoes – 6-7 pieces

Radish – 5-6 pieces

Parsley – 30 gr

Salt to taste

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My delicious aunt in Kakheti

Recently, we  visited my aunt in the village Vanta, Kakheti Region. She is adorable cook and wonderful hostess and prepared some meal for us quite very quickly.   🙂   (Generally people are very hospitable there and always ready to host their guests) ❤

Here is what she served for us:

Looks like Red pine mushroom (not sure) it was just stewed in oil and salted, very simple and delicious

 Carp boiled in salted water

Just salad, Georgian style, Tomato, cucumber, onion rings, basil (purple), coriander, homemade sunflower oil and salt

Pickled mix: garlic and cucumber

Goose stew – saute sliced onions, put sliced goose in it and keep it on low heat for a while, then pour some mashed tomatoes, cap it and leave for about 20 minutes on low heat. Finally dress with coriander, salt and red chopped pepper.

And finally sweet and juicy watermelon from Kakheti 😉

P.S. And everyone around the table patiently waited, while I was taking these photos ❤ 😀

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Tbilisi Beer Festival

For beer admirers we have Tbilisi Beer Festival in Georgia, which was held on 21-22 July  at Rose Revolution Square.

Lots of beer

Lots of people

Lots of fun

Lots of friends

I crawled among people and shot some photos in between, when I came home, I found that I had almost 500 photos on my memory stick. 😀

So, I’ve  just selected some of my favorite faces for your 🙂

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Mtsvadi that loves You

Every time I visit my village, we are making Mtsvadi a.k.a shashlyk, skewered meat – simple, stunning and delicious one; we are gathering around the fire, chatting and waiting for brilliant food.

There are various ways for making Mtsvadi, but here is the simplest one, follow the photo direction:

For making fire you need dry vine root stock, in other cases you may use coal or charcoal, but the vine root stock is far different, making the Mtsvadi more tasty.

 

 

And the fire

Slice fresh pork and skewer it.
p.s. you can use veal, lamb or even chicken fillet, but the pork is very important while making Mtsvadi

Put the skewered Meat on fire and time to time turn it round .

After Mtsvadi is ready, remove it with bread from skewers 🙂

Leave the bread you’ve used for removing Mtsvadi on top of the bowl and squeeze some pomegranate (if any) on Mtsvadi.
Bon appétit! 😉

 

Updated after Nekresi Tour 🙂 and with my new camera ❤

 

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Georgia: Zhinvali Reservoir

Two weeks ago I had an ethnographic tour in Khevsureti .

While heading to Khevsureti there is one of the largest reservoirs in Georgia – Zhinvali Reservoir in Dusheti Region. Being both very beautiful and dangerous (risk of flood), coquetting from the surrounding mountains, Zhinvali Reservoir is of 11.5 sq.km space and of 520 sq.m. capacity.

It has in-flowing rivers Mtiuleti Aragvi and Pshavi Aragvi and out-flowing Aragvi River.  Zhinvali Reservoir was formed after constructing of Zhinvali Dam,so, Zhinvali Reservoir is very important for water supply of the Capital Tbilisi.

So for some period of time we traveled along the Zhinvali Reservoir and enjoyed this magnifique scenery.

Shot by Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S

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Chakapuli: Veal with tarragon

Traditionally, key ingredients of this dish are lamb and tarragon, but after desperate search of desired parts of lamb in Telavi Market , my father decided to buy veal for making Chakapuli (literally meaning the meat and greens boiled in its juice without removing the froth). The dish originates from Kakheti (East Georgia), as the lamb is very popular there and it is seasonal, usually made in Spring.

Surprisingly, when we finally arrived in the village, my father asked me  to make Chakapuli 🙂 so here is what I’ve made and what everyone liked in there. 🙂

Ingredients: 

Veal – 1 kg

White wine – 200 gr

Tarragon – 200 gr

Spring onions – 200 gr

Coriander – 200 gr

Wild plums – 100 gr

Salt/pepper to your taste  

Photo Directions   

1. First cut the veal in small parts.

2. Then put the sliced veal into the pot and pour wine in it, no water is needed veal shall boil in wine and own juice.

Keep on low heat for about 30-40 minutes.

3. When the meat is ready, top the pot with cut tarragon, coriander and spring onions and wild plum, cap the pot, wait for 2 minutes and turn off the heat.

4. Bon Apetit!

Veal with Tarragon

And a bonus, Wild Plums right from my garden in the village 🙂 

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Telavi Bazaar: a photo tour

Couple of weeks ago I visited my relatives in Telavi. There is a kind of tradition, when one visits Telavi City  (East Georgia) one also visits old and famous Telavi Bazaar.  So we did it as usual, my father was walking around and looking for various things to buy and I was just following him and photo touring around.  Things are not quite expensive here and you can find almost anything you want, including handmade products, meet local people and chat with them (and they are so sweet and kind).

So here are some photos from Telavi Bazaar.

Handmde Brooms

Handmade traditional hats

Spices

Goatskin Cheese

Honey and Beeswax (for making candles)

Popcorn 🙂

Nuts and sweets, including Churchkhela 

Shot by Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S

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